When teaming with his brother,
Michael, to make the band's sophomore release, "Inanimate Objects," Keith decided
the best course of action was to be indefinable, independent and imprecise.

"On the first album that we
released (the critically acclaimed Web sensation 'When It Was Now'), I would
always drive myself crazy being a perfectionist - just tweaking little things,
you know?" he said in a recent phone interview.

While the end result proved to be
a success, particularly with the hit single "Trojans," the journey was filled
with "lots of pressure," Keith said.

About the time the Australian
brothers were ready to return to the recording studio, "I had a buddy of mine.
... He wanted to know more about the band," Keith said.

"I played him 'Trojans,' and I
remember listening to it thinking there's a couple of things I would've changed
had I been doing it right now," he said. "And that produced an epiphany of how
perfectionism is such a waste of time and how to just trust your gut at the
time, because there really is no ... perfection doesn't exist."

What Keith discovered was passion
trumps mechanics.

"When I listen to 'Trojans' and
those songs that we did on the first album, what I still get is that genuine
emotion there," Keith said. "There's songs that were written that successfully
capture an emotion. That is what, I think, stays timeless."

Atlas Genius was inspired by Tom
Petty, The Police and Tears For Fears in making "Inanimate Objects."

"It was really not to try and make
it one specific 'genre,' " Keith said. "We didn't want it to just be indie rock
or indie pop - you know, the tags that they put on bands now. It's just stuff
like we love."

"What we did was, there would be a
certain vibe to a song, and it would remind us of stuff that we grew up
thinking," he added.

"This one, I feel, is a bit more
vague, which, for us, artistically, is very satisfying," Keith said. "We tried
to do it in a way that we weren't all over the map, but it stayed true to the
emotion of what each song was."

Fans and critics have responded
favorably.

"The reaction's been great for
us," Keith said.

Atlas Genius recently performed on
"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and formerly visited hall of fame talk shows "The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno," "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "Late Night with
Jimmy Fallon."

"The biggest danger, for music, is
that it just goes by unheard, you know," Keith said. "It's very hard to get
heard, because there's just so much music. I'm really proud of this album. My
thing now is just to make sure people hear it, because we think it's something
special."

While Atlas Genius is all the rage
right now, Keith said there's no telling how long fame will last. And that, he
said, is OK. Part of the message on "Inanimate Objects" is not overanalyzing,
overthinking or trying to map out the future.

"That's what (lead single)
'Molecules' is really about, actually: Just focusing on the moment," Keith
said.

And while some bands would measure
success by TV appearances or magazine covers, "I always appreciate that we're
touring," Keith said.

Atlas Genius will perform Sunday
at The Waiting Room in Buffalo.

"Our live show is feeling really
great at the moment," Keith said. "We've been touring this new album for about
three months, doing a bunch of festivals warming up into the summer. What we
tried to do is stay true to the recorded versions, but also have moments where
it allows us to sort of reinvent the song each night."

"We try to keep the energy really
high," he said.

"What we're doing is the best job
in the world," Keith explained.

Click HERE to find out more about
Atlas Genius or to order "Inanimate Objects."